Tuesday, June 4, 2013

June 2013 Fan of the Month: Andrea Frazier!

Meet our June Fan of the Month and an incredible part of the twinkie tush community, Andrea Frazier! :) We are so thrilled to introduce her and her beautiful daughters to you! Thank you Andrea, for sharing your amazing spirit of positivity and generosity with us this month and always. <3

1. What is your full name?

Andrea Michelle Frazier

2. Where are you from? Where do you live now?

I am from Charlestown, Indiana (USA) and live currently in Charlestown, Indiana

3. How many children do you have and what are their ages?

I have 2 beautiful girls: Dakota is 6 years old and Morgan is 2 years old.

4. How/when did you find twinkie tush?

I found Twinkie Tush last summer I believe it was. A dear friend of mine had been cloth diapering for awhile and kept telling me I needed to try some fitteds and most definitely a Twinkie Tush. At that time Morgan had been having some issues with a red bum and I needed something more breathable. She added me to the b/s/t page and my first Twinkie Tush was scored there at an auction. I quickly learned it was the most absorbent diaper ever! My next score was a new serged Scarlett. It was at that time I knew I was hooked. It was so cool to have not only some awesome girly prints, but also a diaper that I could trust. I remember commenting on how gorgeous Scarlett was but also how I wish everyone could FEEL the diaper in their hand.

5. What is your favorite twinkie tush print of all time?

My favorite print has to be Buttercup! I just recently was given the opportunity by a cool mama to score this diaper in a mini group :)

6. Do you have an ultimate ISO print?

I have been very lucky that several mamas have offered me all my major ISOs. A recent Twinkie Tush I have seen that I love though is Beloved. I am a sucker for most florals but that print makes me smile :)

I have recently had the opportunity to pick up sewing! It’s allowed me to have some “mom time” as Dakota calls it and also allows me to be creative with fabrics and patterns. I’ve been mainly creating dresses, skirts and shirts for just my girls but recently a few mamas have asked me to create some first birthday dresses!

8. What makes you feel most inspired or grounded? How do you take care of yourself and your spirit?

I am most grounded by my faith. After Morgan’s traumatic birth, I had to find a way to really ground myself and allow myself to believe in something bigger than a medical opinion. I had always been a person that believes in something bigger, as my grandmother had sometimes taken me to church as a young child. But, as a mother, I had to believe my perfect child was going to have someone else on her side…not just doctors and nurses. Even though I had always tried to see the positive and good in things, it was at that time (now that I look back over almost the last 3 years) that I had to have faith that Morgan would prosper and grow like any other child. As a mom, I would make sure to know everything and do anything I could to help her get there. I believe that everything happens for a reason. We just aren’t privy to know exactly what those reasons are sometimes.

9. What is your favorite activity to do with your children?

My absolute favorite things to do with both my girls involves outdoors. We are an outdoor family for sure. If we aren’t taking a walk outside, then we are gardening or having a little picnic. Morgan loves to practice walking around the house and Dakota loves to look for butterflies. My girls are water bugs too :) In the summer months, we are always either at the pool or at the river. Cook outs and swimming usually consume our weekends during the summertime.

10. What is/was your favorite place to visit?

Just last summer we took a family trip to St. Pete Beach, Florida with the girls and loved it. Both of them loved the beach and the ocean. The resort we stayed at was very kid-friendly and I wish we could have stayed longer. It was the relaxing part of our vacation before visiting Disney :)

11. What twinkie tush attribute and/or philosophy do you most appreciate?

I love everything about Twinkie Tush. I love that I’m getting a top-notch product while also supporting a hard working family too. The customer service of Twinkie Tush is superb. When you email Gretchen, you know you are going to get someone who cares and who loves their product just like you do! I am lucky enough to not only own many Twinkie Tush diapers but I also own some wool. Just like a Twinkie Tush diaper, their wool is outstanding quality and far superior to many others. Twinkie Tush has created a community of not just diapers but moms and dads that are willing to go above and beyond for each other. In my journey to surround myself with positive people and positive ideas, I have found that Twinkie Tush is definitely a place that exudes this mentality. Being a part of this community is more like being a part of a great family :)

12. What would you tell someone who has yet to try a twinkie tush diaper?

I would tell someone that hasn’t tried a Twinkie Tush diaper that they are missing out big time! I have tried many diapers over the last 3 years but the quality, absorbency and overall effectiveness of a Twinkie Tush cannot be matched. I would also tell them to not be scared that it’s a fitted! So often I found myself doubting that Morgan could go coverless and Twinkie Tush diapers proved me wrong. They are THAT good. And if you aren’t sold on all those awesome qualities, then the prints produced each week will definitely make you want to buy one to try out :)

13. Tell us your funniest cloth-diapering or parenting story!

Some of my funniest stories about cloth diapering all revolve around taking Morgan to appointments with all sorts of doctors and when they go to check her out they notice the cloth diaper and ask “Is that a diaper?”. They are amazed that a diaper could be so gorgeous and functional! I love those moments because it’s then that I can tell them what it is and show off my other diapers. This exact thing happens at baby showers and birthday parties also. People cannot believe that these are real cloth diapers :) And for those that cloth diapered in the olden days, they are amazed at how easy these diapers really are to use.

14. Tell us about one of the most meaningful parenting experiences you have had.

The most meaningful experiences have been the birth of both my beautiful girls. With Dakota, I was able to birth completely natural with my mom as my doula. When she was born, I never even looked to see if she was a girl…I just knew it. She was 8 lbs 4 oz and 21 inches long with a head full of dark hair. I had waited until I saw her to name her. She was cleaned up by the nurse quickly and I was told she had a tight knot in her cord and should have had issues, but she never did. That was miracle #1. With Morgan, my birthing experience was quite the opposite of this laid back, serene moment. She was taken by emergency c-section at 37 weeks because she had stopped moving. She was born a healthy 7 lbs 6 oz and 21 inches long with yet another head full of dark hair. I had already named her Morgan Elizabeth as I wanted a family name for her. Morgan was my dad’s and sister’s middle name and Elizabeth was my mom’s middle name. She was quickly taken by ambulance to Kosair Children’s Hospital as she was not “pinking up” as they say. It was determined that Morgan had mysteriously lost a lot of blood somehow in utero and had incurred a brain injury but she had survived without any damage to anything else, even her major organs. That was miracle #2. Both of my girls have taught me very valuable lessons to live by: never take anything for granted for we are only promised the very present. I like to always tell people that miracles do happen because I have 2 of them :)

For more details about the twinkie tush Fan of the Month feature, or to learn how to become a twinkie tush Fan of the Month, please see this blog post. Entries are currently open for July! :)

Pages

About Me

My name is Gretchen Gilpin and I am the creator, owner and chief operator of twinkie tush cloth diapers! My husband Mike and I work together to run twinkie tush, along with a growing team of employees! twinkie tush was named after our now almost 6 year old twins, M&D!